This invention relates to a protective enclosure for cribs and playpens. In particular, it relates to an enclosure primarily comprising a mesh fabric that completely encloses the interior of a crib or playpen.
Cribs and playpens are frequently used to retain a child for relatively long periods of time while the child is either sleeping or awake and playing. Cribs are often used to minimize the amount of direct supervision a parent or guardian needs to give to a child by limiting the freedom of movement of the child. It is essential that during these times of limited supervision, potential dangers be minimized without impairing access of the parent or guardian to the child, should it be needed. It should be noted that the terms crib and playpen are used interchangeably herein.
Cribs are often constructed in a box-like fashion with opposed solid headboards and footboards, opposed slatted side rails, and a solid bottom support. However, cribs and playpens do exist that have slatted head and footboards and non-solid bottoms. It is noted that the terms pad and mattress are used interchangeably herein. A snug fitting mattress or pad is typically placed on top of the bottom support. The slatted side rails have openings between the slats through which a child can extend its arms or legs. Additionally, most cribs lack a top covering.
Openings associated with slatted side rails and open crib tops create safety problems. First, older children can climb out the top of open cribs and playpens, subjecting them to possible injury from falls or they may wander into other areas of the house and be exposed to other dangers. A child may extend an arm or leg outside of a crib through the slats and suffer injury such as a fracture. Also, the child may simply have difficulty drawing its arm or leg back into the crib and become chilled because the limb is uncovered. Pets have also been known to gain access to the interior of cribs and playpens through such openings and inflict harm to a child.
It is an object of this invention to provide a mesh enclosure to safely enclose the interior of a crib or playpen.
One important object of this invention is to provide an enclosure that safely confines a child within a crib and facilitates moving a child in or out of the crib.
Another object of this invention is to provide an enclosure to safely line the interior surface of a crib or playpen and provide a protective structure that covers the top thereof.
The invention comprises an enclosure for a crib or playpen having a headboard, a footboard, side rails, a bottom support and a pad or a mattress. The enclosure has a box-shaped body made of a flexible mesh fabric having a bottom panel, side panels, end panels and a dome-shaped top comprised of a plurality of bowed ribs for supporting a top netting in the form of a tent. The box shaped body of the enclosure fits over the top of the bottom support and inside the headboard, footboard and side rails of a crib. The top netting is connected to the box shaped body and serves to create a completely enclosed area inside of the crib. The top netting includes a flap with a zippered fastener that children cannot access easily from the inside of the enclosure. The zippered fastener is difficult to access because of its position on the top and in some embodiments by the presence of a taut zipper liner or alternatively a zipper pocket on the interior side of the flap near the closed end of the zipper. The opening and the fastener also have the beneficial feature of being placed at an appropriate height for adults and are further arranged for ergonomic use. The fastener opens from right to left, which makes it easier for most adults to open while holding a child.
The invention also includes features for safely securing the enclosure to the structure of the crib. These features include the bottom panel which is held in place by the mattress or pad of the crib or playpen. They may also include end panel straps arranged to hold the enclosure to the footboard and headboard of the crib and side rail straps designed to attach it to the top of the crib side rails.